1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to image data processing. More specifically, systems and methods for reorganization of raw image data captured by a camera for improved image processing are disclosed.
2. Description of Related Art
Digital cameras are often employed to capture and record images in electronic form and output color images compressed using JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) compression. However, JPEG applies heavy compression to the color data which can lead to issues with the quality of the resulting output color image and greatly limits any editing that can be satisfactorily performed on the image. In addition, any large moves to tone and/or color may exaggerate the 8-by-8-pixel blocks that form the foundation of JPEG compression. While some cameras allow the setting of various parameters (e.g., color space, sharpness value, tone curve and/or contrast setting) for the conversion of raw data captured by the camera's sensor to the output JPEG image, such adjustment of parameters is time consuming and thus generally impractical to employ on a per-shot basis.
Another issue with the compression performed by the camera is that many cameras can capture at least 12 bits, or 4096 shades, of tonal information per pixel. In contrast, the JPEG format is limited to 8 bits per channel per pixel. Thus, the built-in raw converter in the camera compresses or throws away a large amount of the captured data that cannot be recovered and thus cannot be utilized in the manipulation of the output image or data.
The capturing and recording of images in electronic form and outputting of compressed JPEG images may be employed in various applications. One exemplary application is the scanning of books, magazines, and/or other printed material into digital form. Such scanning of printed material has become more common with the advent of improved imaging, storage and distribution techniques. The conversion of printed material into electronic form allows institutions such as libraries, universities, bookstores, and private enterprises to reduce the cost of storage, facilitate remote access, enable simultaneous access by multiple users, facilitate search and retrieval of information, and/or protect information in rare or out-of-print works from loss or destruction. After imaging the contents of printed material, the recorded image can then be manipulated or otherwise processed. Digitally recorded bound documents can be de-warped, reformatted, supplemented with additional information, compressed, and/or processed with optical character recognition (OCR) software, and indexed to facilitate electronic search.
What is needed is a system and method for processing image data to allow greater flexibility and better results in subsequent image manipulation or editing.